- present participle of touch.
adjective
preposition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of touching
Explanation
Something that is touching affects you emotionally—it makes you feel sad or tender. A touching video about baby hedgehogs might even make your stoic older sister cry. The adjective touching comes from a particular meaning of the verb touch, "to affect or move mentally or emotionally," from the idea that something has "touched" your mind or heart. Your book report might describe the story you read as touching if it left you wiping away a tear.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
According to TMZ, external, the actor also reprised his role from The Wedding Singer by performing his own "humorous yet touching" song at Friday's ceremony.
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
The dollar is 0.1% higher at 162.17 yen after earlier touching 162.40 yen, highest intraday level since 1986, FactSet data show.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
It’s as good as Jolie playing herself, and it’s that touching, too.
From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026
It’s not just our recognition of the real-life parallels that make Jolie so touching in “Couture” — it’s that ineffable star power she’s possessed for so long.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
Christopher moved so that their arms were touching, and she leaned into his side and sobbed like she would never stop.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
